ArchiCAD Rental offering makes BIM licensing flexible, affordable and risk-free

GRAPHISOFT announced a new flexible pricing program that offers architectural firms a variety of ways to acquire ArchiCAD building information modeling (BIM) software.

GRAPHISOFT now offers customers of any size – from sole practitioners to the largest international firms – several software licensing options that best meet their needs and budgets.
These include a new software rental program, called ArchiCAD Rental (ACR), that enables firms to rent BIM software licenses for as long as they need them. With the addition of ACR, customers can now choose from the following licensing options, including:

•ArchiCAD 13 Full License – For firms that want the investment protection and lower cost of ownership of full license subscriptions, including added benefits like new ArchiCAD releases, discounts, support, training and events.

•ArchiCAD Rental (ACR) – The full ArchiCAD 13 license for new and existing ArchiCAD users needing the flexibility of time-defined licensing, and the budget certainty that comes with a fixed fee.

ACR is a low-risk high reward alternative for coping with fluctuating workloads, and allows users to ramp-up or scale-down the number of BIM licenses temporarily depending on how many projects are currently in the works. Especially in our current economy, ACR is a manageable, affordable option to long-term commitments for potentially unused or underused BIM software licenses and a cost-effective hedge for avoiding the lost productivity and business risk of not having enough users equipped with the best design tools when needed.
ACR is ideal for new firms and start-ups demanding a best-in-class BIM solution and looking for a low-risk option to get started.
“ArchiCAD Rental program takes the risk out of investing in BIM,” said Steve Benford, managing director, GRAPHISOFT North America. “With the addition of rental we’ve got a price point that answers the unpredictability in the market today. We’re seeing a jump in enquiries about our BIM solutions so there’s no question the demand is out there. With these pricing options we’re even better equipped to match customer need with fees that make sense for their workflow and backlog.”
The ACR program lets customers choose a rental period that fits their needs:
•1 month

•3 months

•6 months

•1 year

The license is for a single, fully functional seat of ArchiCAD 13, GRAPHISOFT’s best-in-class BIM design and documentation workflow software, including ArchiCAD Teamwork, supporting documentation and user guides. There are no limits on the number of licenses a customer can rent. During the rental period, customers can upgrade their licenses to the latest ArchiCAD version and get technical support.

Benefits of Using Revit to Improve Building Performance

Applying Revit to design and develop a building deliver a plethora of economic, environmental, and societal benefits — that go far beyond the advantages of AutoCAD. Revit Architecture has the following benefits over AutoCAD:


◦Identify Ways to Reduce Field Cycle Time
◦On Time and On Budget Delivery
◦Short Turn Around Time (TAT)
◦Reduce the Amount of Waste on the Project
◦Increase on-site Renewable Opportunities
◦Detects Errors and Mitigate Risks
◦Increase the public's confidence in Stewardship
◦Increase Employee Productivity

•Why Does AutoCAD still Reign over the AEC Industry?

Despite the innovative features and flexibility offered by Revit, unfortunately, architectural designers still slipped into "AutoCAD habits" when using AutoCAD Architecture & AutoCAD MEP. AutoCAD reigns over the MEP industry greatly to which Revit could not manage a success so far. There are several reasons well put:

As explained by Dan Moes, Coordinator at DJM Cad & Coordination Services, "If you are a MEP contractor you will be using AutoCAD, AutoCAD MEP as it is like you will be using an add on program to build your 3D model. AutoCAD has the ability to attach add on programs which adds much greater detail to the model and allows you to do more with the information within the model.” The problem with using Revit in the MEP contracting field is the "add on" programs that will allow you to spool drawing, upload information into cutting tools. Revit is not equipped with this facility. So, Revit has become very popular with Architects and Engineers but not with MEP contractors.

There are few misconceptions about the Revit Architecture which choke off the idea of a firm when it considers the move to Revit Architecture. The most common misconceptions about Revit Architecture are: (i) Low Productivity during Transition; (ii) Too complicated for a small firm to implement; (iii) It only benefits owners; (iv)Disruption of the Existing Infrastructure; (v) Resistance to change to a new platform.

Unlike my colleagues, I have a special love for lawyers. Another day I asked them, if we are creating one 3d integrated model for the building project, completed by various consultants - i.e, the architect, constructor, engineers etc, who is the 'owner' of the document? Due to shared liabilities - whose insurer pays if there is an error?

Migrating to Revit from AutoCAD platform requires huge investment. It could be the biggest barrier to implementation of Revit in small firms.

There are several reasons which make firms to move on with AutoCAD instead of moving to Revit. The article mentions few of them.

Conclusion:

The very purpose of our article is not to glorify the Revit or denounce the AutoCAD, but rather to endorse a clear picture to the end users about Revit and AutoCAD. "AutoCAD is not really relied on for the most part in the architectural world", avers Ricardo Khan, Integrated Construction Manager, Mortenson Construction. "When contract document plans are shown at 1/8" scale, there is a lot of information that is inferred and not precise," shares Khan. On other side, lack of "add-on" program has choked off the MEP firms to REVITALIZE their process. There are many things in AutoCAD Architecture that are very similar to Revit, but there are far less commands to think about when creating Revit model. It is true that MEP portion is slow to jump into the Revit arena (due to lack of content), but in time it will catch up or "Maybe one day we will all be able to access a single generic file using whatever tool we like best...", predicts Mark Christopher Architect, LEED AP, President at Christopher and Kacur Architects, Inc. Only time would give the answer!